Attachment for filing cabinets



v A. EASHALLISH ATTACHMENT FOR FILING CABINE'IS Filed March 14, 1938 A TTORNEY Patented June 2.5, 1940 UNITED STATES @PATENT `OFI-ICE ATTACHMENT' Foa FILING cAnrNE'rs Albert E. shauish, oakland, olif. Application March `14:, 193,8, Serial No. 195,792 2.` claims. (ci. 2li-s6) This invention relates to attachments for ling cabinets and the like which function to lessen the work of a person handling sheet material to be placed in the cabinets.

5 It is an object of the invention to provide an attachment for filing cabinets or the like which will provide an increased working surface upon which articles set aside during filing operations may be placed. l

l'. Another object of the invention is to provide a shelf-like member which may bev detachably mounted on the drawer of a filing cabineti A further object of the invention is to provide y improved means for detachably mounting `a 13 member of the type described on the drawer of a iiling cabinet. f i

Yet another object of the invention is to Vprovide, in an attachment of the class described, means for securing papers or the like theretopto inf prevent separation of the papers and the attachment during handling of the latter.

Still another object of the invention is'to provide a lightweight shelf member which maybe easily handled, and readilymounted on, ordef'i tached from, the drawers of filing cabinets.

The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage, some of which, together with the foregoing, will be specifically set forth in the detailed description of the invention hereunto $0 annexed. It is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the specic form thereof herein shown and described as various other embodiments thereof may be employed Within the scope of the appended claims.

35 Referring to the drawing:

Figure l is a top plan View of a portion of a ling cabinetshowing the attachment of my invention mounted on the drawer thereof.

Figure 2 is a side elevational View, partly in vertical section, of the structure shown in Figure l. The plane in which the sectional portion of the view is taken is indicated by the line 2-2 of the latter figure. y

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the attachment looking at the rear thereof.

Clerks, especially those in large establishments, whose sole duty is to remove and replace large quantities of papers from and into filing cabinets, find their task a tedious one.A This is caused, not so much by the physical effort incident to the actual removal and replacement of the papers, but by the superfluous movements required which serve no useful purpose. Quite frequently the clerk, holding a sheaf of papers in one hand, is required to remove other papers from a tightly packed folder. This requires that he place the sheaf in his `possession down on some support, often `a remotely located table, before he can procure the desired paper from the folder. It is a widespread practice among I clerks, in such a predicament as that just described, to provide a support for the papers to be set down by opening an adjacent file drawer. This does not appear to require very much extra elfort on the part of the clerk but, where he is"l0 called upon to perform it countless times, it will be seen that long before the end of the day his energy will be severely taxed and his efficiency will have droppedto a minimum. In addition to causing physical fatigue in the worker, this @I5 practice invites misplacement of papers due to the likelihood of the latter accidentally finding their way into or between les in the drawer upon which they are placed with the result that valuable timeis consumed before they are re-fzo trieved. Some iirms have attempted to remedy this situation by providing portable tables which may be rolled back and forth in front of the files. This, however, does not increase the effiquired to often walk a considerable distance to secure the table and to constantly move it to permit opening of le drawers in front of which fit may be placed. Another thing which lowers the efficiency of the present day filing systems is' 30 the possibility of a clerk dropping a sheaf of prearranged papers on the floor. The time wasted in retrieving and rearranging the papers is considerable.

I have provided an attachment for filing cabinets which greatly lessens the superfluous movements heretofore required of the clerk, which does not obstruct the le drawers to prevent opening thereof, which provides for securing of papers or the like thereto so as to insure that the papers will not be dropped or have the order in which they are stacked accidentally disturbed, and which is small and -easily carried by the clerk thereby not contributing in a large degree to the creation of fatigue in the worker.

In Figures 1 yand 2 I have shown a portion of a conventional filing cabinet 4 equipped with one or more reciprocally mounted drawers in which papers or the like may be placed. The drawer fronts l are each provided with the usual U- shaped manual pulls 8. 'I'he attachment of my invention comprises a shelf member 9 having secured to and adjacent one end thereof a plug Il having one side l2 and its ends I3 downwardly converging. This plug is adapted, as is best shown in Figure 2, for insertion in the opening between the pull 8 and the drawer front 'l so as to attach the shelf member 9 to the drawer and bracket I4, secured to the shelf member adjacent its edges, are positioned so that their vertical edges contact the drawer front to provide braces to prevent downward deflection of the outer end of the shelf member when a weight is imposed thereon. The side I2 and ends I3 l of the plug ll `are tapered downwafrdly in order `to insure that the latter will Afit into various sizes of drawer pulls.

When the attachment is secured to the drawerA curing papers thereto against the possibility of being dropped or having their order of arrangement accidentally disturbed. 4Secured to the end of the member 9, adjacent the plug ,H 'but on the reverse side thereof to which the plug is attached, is a conventional spring clamp I6 yunder the jawof which papers, shown bythe dotted lines Il inv Figure 3, may be securely held on the member. As this clamp is relatively small and situated close to the end of the member 9, .it 4will not materially encroach on the working surfaceof the attachment.

The attachment of `my invention :above described vis designed to be carried by the clerk from place to place during the performance of his ling dutiesand, as it is light and convenient to handle, it will vnot seriously interfere with his movements, but `rather will, due to its readiness of attachment to the filing cabinet to provide a shelf, when needed, upon which he may work, materially increases his efliciency and greatly lessons fatigue occasioned by walking to and `from remotely positioned tables or -the like upon lwhich he may Work.

IFor sake of lightness, ease of construction and ,low production cost, `the attachment may be, and

is preferably, constructed entirely of wood but it is evident that light weight metal, such as aluminum, or pressed berboard may also be used without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination, with a drawer having a pull member thereon forming, with the Vertical drawer front, a closed loop, of a piece of sheet material to be positioned horizontally with respect to said Vertical drawer front and with a rear longitudinal edge thereof in contiguous relation to said drawer front, brackets rigidly secured to and depending from said sheet of material Yadjacent `the opposite side edges thereof, .said brackets Aeach having a rear vertical edge thereof disposed in contiguous relation with the surface of said drawer front, and rigid securing means unyieldingly mounted on said sheet of ma1 terial and entering the loop of said drawer pull member for urging the contiguouslyrelated rear =edges of said bracketsy and said sheet of material and said drawer front together upon vinsertion of said securing 4means-fin the loop of said drawer pull'member.

2. The combination, witha drawer having `a pull member thereon forming, with `the vertical drawer front, a closed loop, of a piece of sheet material to be positioned horizontally with respectto said vertical drawer front and with a' rear longitudinal edge thereof in contiguous relation to 'said drawer front, brackets rigidly secured-to and depending from said sheet `of material adjacent the opposite side edgesthereof said rbrackets each having a rear vertical edge thereof disposed in contiguous relation with the surface of said drawer front, and aplug, to be inserted in the loop of said drawer Ypull member, rigidly secured to said sheet of material,

said plug having `a side thereof, facing the front"- longitudinal edge of said sheet of material, and the adjacent vertical ends thereof upwardly divergent with respect-to the vertical drawer front and engageable with said drawer pull member whereby upon downward movement of said plug i in said pull member the contiguously related vertical edges of said brackets, the longitudinal edge of said sheet of material and the vertical drawer front will be drawn closer together.

ALBERT sHALLIsHj @i0 

